Marketing your local business

Monday

Oct 14, 2013 at 11:20 AM

No doubt about it, mobile technology is transforming the way consumers live and businesses operate. Today nearly 5 billion people use mobile phones around the world, with 1 billion of those phones being smartphones.

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No doubt about it, mobile technology is transforming the way consumers live and businesses operate. Today nearly 5 billion people use mobile phones around the world, with 1 billion of those phones being smartphones.

According to research conducted by venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, Americans check their smartphones more than 150 times a day.

Thanks to mobile technology, businesses of all sizes and industries — from your local brick-and-mortar shop to your favorite online retail site — have the opportunity to easily reach people on the go.

Mobile is a vital channel for you to reach your customers and will only continue to grow. While mobile is a great vehicle for businesses to market to their customers, many business owners don't know where to start or think it's too complicated to do well.

Below are answers to some of the most-asked questions from local businesses on how to more effectively reach the right audiences on the go.

1. As a business owner, how do I market on mobile without using a ton of resources? I'm just one person and don't have the time.

People on the go are actively looking for businesses in their area: according to a recent Google study, 95 percent of smartphone users search for local information and 59 percent of smartphone users visited in-person after searching for local information. To effectively reach the right customer at the right time, you can tap in to the mobile ad targeting features available across many social platforms. For example, you can target people broadly or narrow down to specifics such as gender and interests.

2. What are the best ways to create mobile ads?

Given people on their phones usually have limited time and attention spans, it's important to create compelling and concise content including photos and short videos. For example, North Carolina-based barbecue company Bone Suckin' Sauce promoted its Facebook photo post on mobile with the hook, "Which is better on the grill? Fish, chicken, vegetables, or steaks?" to encourage conversation among fans. The company saw an 83 percent increase in online store sales as a result of promoting posts like these.